Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Ciao Chow Linda will be on the move in more ways than one, so there won't be any new posts coming for a couple of weeks.

I'm off to Italy to spend a little time with relatives and friends near Milan, then co-leading the "Italy, In Other Words" writing workshop on Lake Como before flying to London to visit my daughter, who has been living there for a year now.

When I do return, you may be seeing an entirely new "Ciao Chow Linda," as my blog undergoes a revamp to update its "look" -- long overdue after nine years with the same format.

In the meantime, if you want to follow along on my trip to Italy and England, I will be posting photos daily on my Instagram account here.

And if the photos of dreamy Varenna have you wishing you were with us on the writing retreat, then contact me to sign up for next year's session. This year's was sold out and we've already had requests for next year, so it's not to early to let us know your interest. You get a discount for early signup. More info here.

Monday, September 11, 2017

It
all started with about six ounces of leftover salmon and 1/2
cup of cream.

I'm not generally a fan of
leftover fish, but as I was driving one day thinking about
what to serve for dinner, it occurred to me I had the basis for a creamy
chowder sitting in the fridge.

So before I made it home, I picked up six scallops and six large shrimp at the fish store -- and a couple of ears of corn at the local farm market.

I
had two large cherry tomatoes and a green pepper at home, so that got thrown
into the pot too, along with some diced potatoes and herbs.

The recipe is simple - Simmer the base ingredients for about 15 minutes, then add the fish in the last few
minutes. The scallops and shrimp will need only about 4-5 minutes of
cooking in the hot liquid, and since the salmon was already cooked, it will
need only a minute to heat.

I thickened up the soup a bit by adding another potato that I boiled and mashed.
If you want to eliminate the cream entirely, you can replace it with water and another boiled and mashed potato.
But there is no substitute for that silky feel you get when heavy cream is used.

Leftover salmon never tasted so good.

The winner of the giveaway on my last blog post, a copy of Jamie Schler's new cookbook, "Orange Appeal," is Faith Bahadurian, chosen by a random number generator. Congratulations Faith.

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Devein
the shrimp and put the discarded shells into a pot of water (about two
cups), along with one small potato. Cover and cook until the potato is
easily pierced with a fork. Remove the potato and set aside, and discard
the shrimp shells, retaining the water.

Melt
the butter in a large pan, then add the onion, green pepper and garlic
and cook until softened. Add the water from the discarded shrimp shells
(it will be less than two cups of water after simmering) and the two
diced (and raw) potatoes. Let the potatoes cook until almost soft, then add the
corn and cream and simmer on low for a few minutes. Add the herbs and other seasonings,
then put in the shrimp and scallops and cook for about four or five
minutes until almost cooked through. Add the cooked salmon (or if using
raw salmon, add it when you add the other seafood). Let everything cook
together gently for a few minutes without a lid, then serve.

Thursday, August 31, 2017

I've been trying to stay away from baking all summer (that doesn't mean I haven't had my share of ice cream however).

But when a new cookbook arrived and I started flipping through it, my resolve quickly dissolved.

The next day I baked this cake -- one of the most delicious cakes I've had in a long time, with rich chocolate and subtle orange flavor, a tender crumb and a luscious chocolate ganache topping.

Fortunately, later in the day I was meeting some board members from an Italian cultural institution I'm part of, who offered to lend with our annual mailing.

I lure them each year by bringing food, and they happily stuffed envelopes and slapped on stamps, sustained by this cake from Jamie Schler's new cookbook, "Orange Appeal." Several of them took slices home too, leaving me with just enough cake to give my dad the next day.

It's definitely a cake that will make appearance after appearance in my kitchen.

The photos are beautiful too, by Ilva Beretta, who also collaborated for two years with Jamie on the blog, Plated Stories.

Jamie now lives in Chinon, France, from which she writes the blog "Life's A Feast," and where she also runs a hotel (Hotel Diderot) -- a place I'm longing to visit at some point.

With her busy life, I don't know how she found time to write a cookbook, but it contains a plethora of recipes that include oranges in some form or other -- not unexpected for someone who grew up in Florida.

I've made my share of candied oranges, but never tried orange powder, orange sugar, or orange salt. But with Jamie's instructions from the book, they'll be on my to-do list as soon as citrus season rolls in here in the Northeast U.S.

The book contains many savory recipes as well as sweet ones, and I'm really looking forward to trying the sweet-and-sour marmalade-glazed oven baked chicken next.

I've also got my eyes fixed on the glazed blood orange yogurt loaf cake and many others too, but they'll have to wait until I make this chocolate orange marble loaf cake again, this time for my husband to try.

After you mix the batter, it gets divided in two parts. One is for the chocolate mixture, and into the other go the orange peel and orange juice. The raw batter was so delicious I had to restrain myself from licking too much off the spatula.

I swirled the chocolate batter into the white batter using a knife.

The kitchen smells divine while it's baking. Let it rest for a few minutes before removing it form the pan.

The recipe says the chocolate glaze is optional, but for me it was an absolute necessity (especially if you're using a Lindt chocolate bar that contains orange bits).

It's a good thing I had a meeting to take this to, or I'd have eaten half the cake myself.

I did have to eat one slice before taking it to the meeting (you know, quality control and all that stuff).

Now I'd like to offer one of you a free copy of "Orange Appeal" so you can try this and all the other recipes in the book.

Just leave a comment at the bottom of the blog post (not in email), and a way for me to contact you if your name is chosen.

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2 packed tablespoons (18 g) unsweetened cocoa powderPreheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Butter a standard 9 x 5 x 2 1/2 inch (23 x 13 x 6 1/2 cm) or 8 cup 2 l) loaf pan; fit a piece of parchment paper in the bottom.Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, and then beat in the oil. Beat in the flour mixture until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl.Divide the batter evenly between 2 bowls. Beat the zest and juice into 1 portion of the batter, and the milk, vanilla and cocoa into the other portion of batter until well-blended.Spoon large dollops of each mixture, alternating the batters, into the prepared loaf pan. Drag a skewer or a long, sharp knife blade back and forth through the batter in swirls to create a marble pattern. Smooth the surface if necessary.Bake for 55-60 minutes, until the cake is set in the center and just barely beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cover the top of the cake loosely with a sheet of foil for the last 5-10 minutes of baking time to over over browning, if necessary.Allow to cool in pan for about 10 minutes before sliding a knife around the edges to loosen the cake and turning it out onto a cooling rack. Remove parchment paper from the bottom, allowing the cake to cool, top side up, on the rack. Drizzle chocolate orange ganache over the top. (recipe below)

1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy creamPlace the chocolate into a medium heatproof mixing bowl. Slowly heat the cream in a small saucepan until it comes just to the boiling point. Pour the cream immediately over the chocolate and stir until it is smooth and creamy. Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, until thickened to a drizzling consistency before spooning over the sponge cake.

Saturday, August 19, 2017

It's been the summer of eggplants for us, with the purple vegetable growing in abundance in our garden.

We've been enjoying grilled eggplants as a side dish for dinner, and have taken them to take to parties in the last month too. They're delicious hot off the grill or at room temperature.

Start by slicing the eggplants, then salting them and letting them sweat on a paper towel for an hour or so. It removes the bitterness and gets rid of some of the water too. I pat them dry, then toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper, minced garlic and an herb - usually mint, but thyme is nice here too. Grill them until they're browned on one side, then flip and brown on the other side.

We usually have more than we need for one dinner, so I gave some of them new life by making eggplant Napoleons.

Just take a slice of the grilled eggplant, smear a little tomato sauce on top (I had fresh tomato sauce thanks to my dad's and my niece's gardens). Then place a slice of some fresh mozzarella over that and continue with two more eggplant slices until you finish with eggplant and sauce on top. Place it back on the grill for just a minute to melt the cheese, (with the lid closed) - or place it in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes until the cheese has melted.

They make a great meal all by themselves, but they're nice alongside a piece of salmon and some garden fresh green beans too.

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To grill the eggplants, slice each eggplant about 1/2 " thick, then place on paper towels and salt both sides with table salt. Let the slices sit about an hour. Pat dry, then toss with some olive oil, salt, pepper and chopped mint (or thyme).

Place on the grill and grill until each side has browned. Then in a heatproof pan, or aluminum foil pan, place a slice of eggplant, a slathering of tomato sauce, and a slice of fresh mozzarellla. Top with another slice of eggplant, more sauce and another slice of mozzarella. Finish with a final slice of eggplant and more tomato sauce. Place the Napoleons back on the grill (put them on a tin-foil pan first), close the lid and cook until the cheese melts - another five minutes or less. Alternately, put the Napoleons in a 350 degree oven for about five minutes.

Monday, August 7, 2017

There are so many reasons I love summer, including the delicious sweet corn that grows prolifically here in New Jersey. We've been eating it at least once a week, just boiled in water for three or four minutes.

With one of the leftover ears, I was inspired to make a summer pizza using more terrific Jersey produce - (we are the "Garden State" after all!) after seeing something similar on my friend Stacey's blog.

The first time I tried it, I also added some zucchini and a bit of anchovy - just enough to give it a zing.

I can just hear those of you who are anchovy averse turning off at this point. But wait - the second time I made it, I added small cherry tomatoes and pancetta in addition to the corn and zucchini. In both cases, I used fresh oregano and basil (and mozzarella cheese of course).
For all you vegetarians, you can skip the anchovies or the pancetta and it will still be delicious, provided you have sweet corn in season.

Although I used a perforated pizza pan to bake the pizzas at a high temperature, the bottom crust just wasn't getting browned enough. So after about 12 minutes at 475 degrees, I slipped the pizza off the pan and slid it directly onto the lowest of the oven's wire racks for a few more minutes. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn on the bottom.

It worked beautifully and created a crispy, crunchy bottom crust, without burning the toppings.

So take your pick and choose either surf (anchovies):

or turf (pancetta). In either case, you'll want to try this corn pizza while fresh corn is at its peak.

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1 small zucchini (or half of a large zucchini), sliced thinly and salted

either - 2 anchovies in oil or 6 thin slices of pancetta, fried until crispy

8-10 red or yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half

fresh basil

fresh oregano

black pepper

olive oil

Whether using your own homemade dough, or store-purchased dough, put it in a bowl smeared with oil and let it come to room temperatureand rest for about an hour. Punch it down and spread it out over a large perforated pizza pan.

Scatter the mozzarella over the dough, then place the zucchini and corn kernels and/or cherry tomatoes on top .

If using anchovies, lay them in a few places across the pizza. Do the same if using the pancetta.

Sprinkle with the fresh herbs and black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Bake at 475 degrees for 10-12 minutes. If the dough is not browning on the bottom, slide the pizza from the pan directly onto the lowest rack of the oven. Let it bake for another 3-5 minutes, checking to make sure it doesn't burn.

Monday, July 31, 2017

Before National Blueberry month is over (yikes, that's today!) and before all those sweet/tart local berries disappear from farmer's markets, I thought I'd post this cake that I made a least a month ago.

Blueberries not only taste delicious, but the plump berries are packed with healthy nutrients for you. They're a good source of fiber and manganese, which plays an important role in bone development and converting proteins, carbohydrates and fats into energy. They're also high in levels of vitamin C. and they're low cal - only 80 calories per cup and no fat -- making them the perfect summertime snack.

I used them as part of the filling on this cake called "torta paradiso al limone" -- a recipe that popped up in my Facebook feed a long time ago from an Italian site called "Strabuono - Solo Cose Buone" (translates to "Extra special - Only Good Things.")

The recipe was written with metric measurements, and I've included those for you -- actually measuring by weight is always more accurate than using the standard American method of 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup and so on. Be aware that the original recipe didn't include the whipped cream in the filling, nor the blueberries, but I'll take any excuse I find to include seasonal berries (and cream) in a recipe.

The cake includes plain Greek yogurt, but I had some lemon Greek yogurt in the fridge, so used that instead (hey, does that yogurt counter the calories from the whipped cream? - Don't answer that.).

It's a little firmer than a sponge cake, but not as dense as a pound cake.

The filling recipe calls for making your own lemon curd, which I did. But you can always buy a jar of it if you don't want to go through the trouble.

Homemade lemon curd however, is infinitely better than what you can buy. Make sure you strain it to get out any solids. (As you can see, I almost curdled the curd -- not good, but straining it saved the day.)

You can use the curd just as is, which is the original recipe, but warning - it's really, really tangy and lemony. Instead, I thought the strong lemon flavor needed to be tamed a bit, so I combined the curd with some whipped cream (also because I lost a bit of the curd from overcooking and nearly curdling it.) Spread the filling over half the cake, then place blueberries all over the filling. Top with the other half of the cake and refrigerate.

Warning - the filling may be too soft and start oozing out the sides, making for a messy looking cake. But once you refrigerate it for an hour or so, the filling will start to firm up. Smooth out the sides with a spatula to tidy things up.

Decorate the top with more berries (I added some fresh currants in addition to the blueberries).

A little sprig of mint completes the decoration.

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juice and peel of two lemons - (this makes a very lemony filling. If you like it less tart, use one lemon only)

1 1/2 Tablespoons butter (20 grams)

1/2 cup sugar (100 grams)

2 eggs
1/2 cup whipping cream

blueberries - enough to cover the middle
confectioner's sugar - to dust over the top

Directions:

Beat the eggs, sugar and salt together until fluffy. Add the lemon peel, yogurt, oil, flour, baking powder and vanilla and beat until combined, a couple of minutes.
Pour into a 8 or 9" prepared cake pan (buttered and a dusting of flour.)

For the filling, place the juice and lemon peel, plus the butter and sugar into a saucepan. Simmer until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. Add the two whole eggs and cook for a couple of minutes over low heat until it thickens enough to coat a spoon. (Be careful, it's easy to overcook and for the eggs to curdle.) Strain through a sieve and let cool, covering with a piece of plastic wrap directly over the curd, to avoid a "skin." Whip the cream until the point just after soft peaks start to form (but not too much or you'll have butter!) Fold the cream into the lemon curd.
Cut the cake into two sections. Spread the lemon cream over the bottom half, then fill with a layer of blueberries. Cover with the top layer of cake, and dust everything with powdered sugar.
Decorate with more berries and a sprig of mint.

Monday, July 24, 2017

If your weather has been anywhere near as hot as what we've had in New Jersey this past week, turning on the oven to prepare dinner is about as appealing as donning a ski parka in a sauna.
Naturally, cold dishes like salads come to the rescue when the temperatures are too hot to cook, but not just any old "lettuce-and-tomato" cold salads.
I was inspired to make this after seeing something similar online from Helena, who goes by the handle @brat_h_ on Instagram.
Helena used grilled corn, and I heartily endorse that approach, although I had a leftover ear of boiled, but delicious, Jersey corn needing a home.
I added and deleted a few things from her dish, based on what I had on hand. One thing I didn't have was the chipotle powder she used, so I mixed a little paprika and cayenne together. I also subbed fresh oregano for the cilantro, since my husband isn't a cilantro fan, and we've got plenty of oregano flourishing in the garden. As you can tell, you can make the salad your own depending on what's available to you.
Scatter all the ingredients across a bed of mixed lettuces that have been seasoned with your favorite vinaigrette.
Then drizzle on some of the dressing and decorate with the red currants, if you can find them.
If not, try to find some tiny red cherry or grape tomatoes to give the dish a really festive look.

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Toss the lettuces with a light amount of the oil and vinegar dressing (the creamy dressing will add another layer, so you don't want to overdo it on the oil and vinegar dressing). Arrange the lettuces on a platter, then place the rest of the ingredients on top of the lettuce, in an "artful" way.

Friday, July 14, 2017

With temperatures hovering in the 90s here in the Northeast, who wants to turn on the oven or slave over a hot burner?

Not I, and probably not you.

When I saw this beautiful salad in Coastal Living magazine, I knew this would be perfect for one of those steamy days as we've had this week. Picking a ripe melon is difficult, but I let both the cantaloupe and the honeydew sit on the counter for a few days to be sure they were at their peak.

The combo of sweet melon in season, with fragrant salty prosciutto isn't a new one, but the mint vinaigrette takes it to a new level.

Got a partner with a he-man appetite who requires a heftier meal? Then just add a couple of hard-boiled eggs on the side, a hunk of good cheese, or both.

Breadsticks are always a good idea too, especially when they're covered in lots of seeds.

Want more Ciao Chow Linda? Check out my Instagram page here to see more of what I'm cooking up each day.

You can also connect with Ciao Chow Linda here on Facebook, here for Pinterest or here for Twitter.

Friday, July 7, 2017

Is the basil in your garden reaching its peak, but the tomatoes nowhere near being ripe?

Just when you'd like the basil to cozy up to those tomatoes in a salad bowl, these crops never mature at the same time.

If
you prune your basil now however, it will re-sprout a second crop in
time to use with those tomatoes that will ripen in a few weeks.
Don't cut off all the basil leaves however - just trim back to a
juncture above a pair of leaves.

If
you don't prune your basil (or at least pinch the tips when they start
to flower), the basil will go to seed and you'll lose the opportunity
for that second crop.

But what to do with the armful of basil you pick now when they're aren't fresh tomatoes for a salad?

That's easy. Make pesto!

I've written posts on pesto before, including pesto with shrimp (click here), and a basic pesto primer (click here) that shows you how to make a real pesto alla Genovese, and how to keep your pesto a bright green color.

Since
I recently had some zucchini from the farmer's market looking for a
home, I combined it with the pesto and served it over fusilli pasta.

If
you're a traditionalist (or a glutton for punishment), try making pesto
with a mortar and pestle - the way I had it the first time I ate it in Italy at the home of one of
my cousins.

Not up for so much elbow grease? No problem. It's a snap to make in a food processor.

You can whir everything together, then start the pasta cooking while you sauté the zucchini.

In the time it takes to boil the pasta, dinner can be on the table.
Buon Appetito!

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These amounts aren't exact. A lot depends on how firmly you pack the basil
into the measuring cup, how large the garlic cloves are, and of course,
your taste buds.

4 cups basil, loosely packed

2 large cloves garlic

1/4 cut pistachios (or pine nuts)

extra virgin olive oil (as much as two cups, as needed to obtain a loose pesto)

1/4 cup - 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1
pound pasta - trofie, linguini or trenette are common in Italy with
this sauce, but farfalle (bowties) or fusilli (pictured above) are nice
too.

Sauté the zucchini rounds in the olive oil, adding salt and pepper to season. Cook until softened, but not mushy.

Start the water boiling for the pasta while you prepare the pesto sauce.

If using a food processor: Tear leaves from stem, wash, dry and
place in a food processor, along with the garlic, nuts and a small
amount of the olive oil. Start with 1/2 cup and keep adding more until
it flows smoothly when you dip a spoon into it, but not so thin that it
falls off in a stream. Use your judgment.

Add parmesan cheese if serving immediately. If you're planning to freeze
it, don't add the parmesan cheese until after you defrost it and are
ready to serve.

If using a mortar and pestle, start with the washed and dried
basil leaves, garlic and nuts and add a small amount of coarse salt to
help break down the leaves. Pound with the pestle and slowly add a
little bit of olive oil. Keep working the mixture with the pestle and
add the rest of the oil as needed. The process takes a lot of patience
and time.

After
the pesto is made and the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta, holding
onto a half cup or so of the water. You can use this to thin out the
sauce when you're mixing the pesto into the pasta.

Mix
the pesto with the pasta, then add the sautéed zucchini. Toss
everything together, adding more pasta water if you need to thin out the
sauce. Serve with additional parmesan cheese, if desired.

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Making Bigoli with Dad

The Torchio

The device you see in the video above is a "torchio," a hollow brass tube attached to a bench or a wall. Different metal "dies" can be inserted in the torchio for different shapes of pasta. The torchio belonged to my mother's family in Italy. After decades of collecting dust in my basement, the torchio was recently resurrected when my father offered to make a bench for it. The torchio is screwed to the bench, semolina pasta dough is fed into the tube, the crank is turned, and with a lot of elbow grease, pasta is extruded through the die. What comes out below is a tubular pasta - anything from thin spaghetti to bucatini, similar to a hollow straw.

About Me

In my last life, I was a journalist in NYC, but left the rat race to live in Italy for a year. I created this blog upon my return to combine my interests of writing and photography with my love of food and travel. My mother was from the region of Emilia-Romagna, my father's family was from Calabria and my late husband's family is Abruzzese. I am remarried now to an Italian-American whose family comes from Veneto and Campania. Is it any wonder then, that Italian art, music, food and the country's beautiful landscape are among my passions? I hope you will try some of the recipes and post comments. Buon Appetito. Linda